HR1SX1 - People, Work and Society 01 Sep 2022 - 31 Aug 2027 | Version 4

Associated Module Information

Module Code: HR1SX1
Module Title: People, Work and Society
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Professional Development
Faculty Sub Group: Professional Development
Module Leader: Kevin Brown, Davina Evans
Module Team: Liam Newton, Christopher Wilkin, Jared Davies, Rebecca Brittain, Adam Poole, Ian Jenkins, Claire Wright, Linda Hamweemba, Neil Lewis, Jennifer Spencer, Simon Nurse, Stephen Healy
First Intended Intake: SEP 2019 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 4
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100619 - applied sociology
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 4
Valid From 01 Sep 2022
Valid To 31 Aug 2027

Module Aims

This module has a diverse remit, covering a wide range of issues but with one underlying theme. All aspects of the module focus on the links between people’s experiences of work and the impact that it has on them as individuals and the wider society.

Students will be introduced to various issues and controversies relating to the study of work, organisation and management. We will explore people’s motivations to work and different approaches taken to the organisational and management of work, historically and in more contemporary settings both local and globally as well as exploring predictions about the future of work and the impacts of increased automation and artificial intelligence on the individual and their place in world where robots do the work.

This module introduces students to the sociology of work and workplace organisation in the contemporary economy. It covers themes from rationalisation and the organisation of time, to emotional labour, unemployment, globalisation, and the fourth industrial revolution and new patterns of employment.

The module considers specific features of contemporary work, and places work in the context of the movement from Fordist models of production and consumption to post-Fordism and the impact of the development of artificial intelligence and increasingly capable machines.

Content Summary

The content summary indicates the general content of the module overall:

The evolution of work and the development of organisational functions (focusing on the HR function)

Time, Space and Discipline: The Emergence of Modern Work

The individual and the meaning and nature of work

The Division of Labour, Taylorism and Fordism

Karl Marx: Work, Capitalism and alienation

Types of employment, Unemployment and underemployment

Low-Wage Work in the modern Economy

Quality of work and the contribution of the Human Resource function

Stress at work and employee wellbeing

Employee motivation and job satisfaction

Post-Fordism and Globalisation

The future of work – Digital Utopias and dystopia’s

Students will be required to work on a weekly basis on their concept map and be able to get formative assessment during the module, culminating in an individual presentation for their summative assessment.

Examples will be used to contextualise discussions for cohorts studying Pathways and Specialist courses.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lecture 10
Practical classes and workshops 30
Independent Study 75
Directed Study 75
Formative Assessment - Scheduled 2
Groupwork 8
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Recognise the ways in which approaches to work and patterns of employment have changed and the effects of these on people and society in the 21st century.
LO2 Explain how theories and concepts related to the management of people manifest in different organisational contexts.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Practical Assessment (CW) Practical Coursework 1 Concept map - Students will develop a concept map of topics covered during the module demonstrating their understanding of the relationships between concepts. 20 N/A 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Practical Coursework 1

Reading List

Chatfield, T. (2018) Critical thinking: your guide to effective argument, successful analysis & independent study. California: Sage.

Bloodworth, J. (2018) Hired: six months undercover in low-wage Britain. London: Atlantic Books.

Erickson, M. Bradley, H. Williams, S and Stephenson, C. (2009) Business in Society: People, Work and Organizations. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Grey, C. (2013) A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about studying organizations (3rd ed.) London: Sage

Kesslar, S. (2018) Gigged: the gig economy, the end of the job and the future of work. London: Cornerstone.

Sutton, A. (2018) People, Management & Organisations. London: Palgrave.